In medical environments, such as hospital intensive care units, caregivers and medical staffers may devote a significant portion of their time to moving and repositioning patients that are not capable of moving themselves. For example, to inhibit formation of pressure ulcers or bed sores in patients that are comatose or otherwise incapable of moving on their own accord, medical caregivers may be tasked with moving and/or repositioning these patients at regular intervals (e.g. every two hours). Moreover, some patients are not capable of moving by themselves, and caregivers may be asked to help move such patients from one location to another, for example, from a hospital bed to the toilet, and back again. This movement and repositioning can be a strenuous and even dangerous practice for the caregivers, particularly where the patient is heavy relative to the strength of the caregiver.
To help caregivers reposition patients, medical facilities may utilize repositioning sheets, such as the Comfort Glide™ repositioning sheet sold by Medline Industries. These repositioning sheets provide a soft upper surface that is comfortable for a patient to rest upon, a lower friction surface on an underside of the sheet, and handles that help the caregivers grasp the sheet. These features help the caregivers to slide the sheet and patient along a resting structure, such as a hospital bed, which makes the process of repositioning less burdensome for the caregiver.
Another technique that medical facilities employ to move or reposition a patent involves using a sling with a patient lift. Such slings can be placed underneath a patient, and strapped or otherwise engaged with a lifting device that uses a hoist to lift a patient off a resting structure, after which the patient can be moved, repositioned, or transferred to another resting structure.
While both the repositioning sheet and the lift/sling systems can be effective tools for moving patients, in certain situations one tool may be more effective than the other. For instance, where multiple caregivers (e.g., nurses) are present at a patient's side, and that patient is to be moved only a short distance, (e.g., from a supine to a partially recumbent resting position on a hospital bed), the repositioning sheet can provide a quick and efficient technique to achieve the movement that does not need to involve the use of the large lifting equipment. However, where the patient requires movement over a greater distance (e.g., transfer from a hospital bed to a wheelchair or an operating table), the sling/lift may be a more effective tool.
The present application describes tools and techniques that allow caregivers to have an option to choose which technique they need for the task at hand, and to perform the necessary repositioning or lifting without having to change the sheet beneath the patient.